Dedication
by Durriken
Summary: Sometimes... we can only endure so much and give so many chances, before we have to move on.


A/N: Say you won't let go...

**Dedication**

* * *

He looked at her. And when he did, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on... and to this day he was still in awe that she was his, that he was able to call her _his_. Back in the beginning, when they first became a couple, he would have these awful, lingering nightmares that when he awoke, her side of the bed would be empty, devoid of the warmth he was so accustomed to, and his heart would break every time before finding her curled up next to him and subsequently attacking her in a fit of snuggles and lingering neck kisses that left the poor girl confused but absolutely thrilled.

To say that he loved her was an understatement worthy of laughter. She was the piece that he didn't know he had been missing, the component that made him whole. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that without her guiding presence, without her at his back spurring him on through the darkness, he would have fallen prey to the numerous naysayers and given up on life a long time ago.

She... was his everything. And he made sure she knew it. Everyday, he told her, he told her that saying "I love you" didn't come close to expressing how he truly felt about her; it didn't scratch the surface of the many ways she had enriched his life, providing light when there was none, breathing encouragement when all he wanted to do was hit the ground on his knees...

So he looked at her. And when he did, he felt his heart break and his chest tighten.

Things weren't like how they used to be when they first started down their journey together. Back then, everything had been fine; they melded together effortlessly, became one almost without any thought and was able to fight off any adversary that came their way. Because they were in synch, a connection birthed through love and nurtured through dedication and perseverance. But... but somewhere along the way, that dedication had slipped, he could feel it. Try as he might to convince himself otherwise or turn a blind eye, he knew... deep down in his soul he knew her level of commitment had fallen well below his.

It happened. That's what he told himself at first. This... it was just something that happened, it was completely normal, and every couple went through it. They would go through it, use the trials and lessons learned to strengthen their foundation, and move on. That was the plan, it was how he saw it so clearly in his mind when he brought it to her attention, and he was heartened to hear her acknowledge where she was falling short and promise to do better.

By her own words, she had promised.

And by her own actions, she had failed to keep it.

"Hinata-chan, you... this isn't what you promised me," he started slowly, already beginning to feel his stomach churn with dread when that pale, long-haired woman turned to him; he could see the confusion wrinkling those beautiful features.

"What I... promised?" she began, not understanding, and when he merely held her in his sorrowful gaze, unable to keep the hurt from infiltrating his eyes, it only took a few extra seconds for realization to hit. And then she clapped both hands to her mouth. "I... I... b-but wait, Naruto-kun, I did! I m-mean, it _is_ what I promised—"

"Is it though?" Naruto interrupted tragically. "It can't be, I... I don't believe that because"—he took a shuddering inhale, firming his jaw—"you're not as dedicated to this as I am. Not anymore. No, don't even try to lie," he added when Hinayana profusely shook her head, those trembling, pink lips separating to defend herself, "'cause I can tell! I saw it awhile ago and told you—and I thought you had listened!"

"I did!" she told him, gesturing at her, then him. "It was that same day even, w-when we talked and... and... I didn't even see it, that I was slipping, so when you t-told me I wanted to change that! For _you_, Naruto-kun!"

He wanted to believe her words so badly that it caused him an almost physical kind of pain to disregard every word that tumbled out of her mouth. He had to, to protect his heart from being swayed. She might have _meant_ to fix things, because she was inherently a gentle person with a nurturing soul, but her attempts were lackluster and beginning to drain Naruto like a blood-sucking parasite.

"For me...?" He almost laughed, however forced it would have been, but choked it down, grinning wryly instead. "If _this_... if this right here is what you did for me then what does that say, Hinata-chan? What does that say about how much you value doin' things for my sake? I guess I'm worth the bare minimum, huh?"

The look that fell over Hinata's face suggested Naruto had just open-palm slapped her. She reeled back in her seat, those opaque eyes of eyes beginning to glisten under the intensity of his words. "You... Naruto-kun, y-you don't mean that, you... I know you're upset, I know, I can see it," she began, yet when she reached out for Naruto's hand, he pulled back like the mere contact of her skin against his might burn. Her hand closed around nothing and trembled. "I—just one more time? Please...? It'll be different, it will, b-because I—"

She was still talking, he could see those lips moving at least, forcing out word after word, saying anything to save herself, anything to sway his mind.

"No."

The weight of that single word crushed whatever sputtering's Hinata had left and now she looked distraught, shaking her head from side to side, unwilling to believe as she brought a hand to her mouth. It was like a lash to Naruto's heart, watching her begin to crumble from within, but he firmed his resolve, forcing himself to stare into those eyes he lovingly looked into every night before sleep and every morning when he awoke.

"At least... n-not right now," he continued, hearing his own voice begin to crack, and a glimmer of hope escaped Hinata in the form of a sharp gasp. "I need someone I _know_ has the same level of dedication as me, and... and it's not you, not now... but it's... we just need a break..."

He was starting to have trouble stringing together coherent sentences, but the gist was there and Hinata graciously nodded. Because of course she would as that meant she had a second chance to cling to.

"A break," she repeated slowly, sniffling somewhat but nodding again in a flurry of her dark blue tresses. "O-okay... I can... that's fine, j-just a break then..."

The part of Naruto that loved Hinata more than he loved his ramen wanted to give her a definitive timeline for how long this break would last—because her hesitant tone clearly urged him to do so—but he honestly didn't know how long it would be.

That was dependent on her...

"We'll, um... discuss this more later, but... right now if you could..." Naruto made a little motion with his head, indicating toward the other two people in the room, who had been watching everything unfold in a taut silence.

For a moment, Hinata didn't move. No, for a moment, judging from the suddenly incensed expression that twisted her face, it looked as though she might fight the decision to take a break—but then Naruto whispered, "Please..." and all the steel she had built up melted into miserable acceptance.

Reluctantly, Hinata stood and passed her controller to Sasuke, who accepted it without a single word.

As she shuffled off to the side to sit next to Sakura on the couch, Sasuke fell into the empty chair next to Naruto. He simply stared at the troubled and clearly distressed blonde for a few seconds before focusing on the TV and opening up the button configuration screen. "You two are always so dramatic, I swear," he muttered. "It's just a game..."

_Shinobi Wars _was indeed just a game. It also happened to be _the_ premiere tag-team fighting game that nearly everyone in Konoha was obsessing over, and right now, Naruto needed someone whose dedication matched his own if they were ever going to claim the top rank.

"Just a break," was what he mouthed over Sasuke to Hinata, who sat looking forlorn while Sakura awkwardly tried to comfort her. "I still love you."

"So. Damn. Dramatic," Sasuke repeated with a sigh. "C'mon, pick your character and let's go."

"Whoever loses first, I got next," Sakura chimed.


End file.
